


Shadow Magic Fail

by TheAmazingOntos



Series: Change [11]
Category: No Fandom
Genre: Magic Revealed, Mild Language, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27645118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAmazingOntos/pseuds/TheAmazingOntos
Summary: Learning how not to do Shadow Magic
Series: Change [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960861





	Shadow Magic Fail

"At least go practice in your room. You look like you're going to be sick and nothing's happening," Alyssa tells me as I try yet again to control a shadow. 

"Thought you'd be happy. I'm looking like an idiot and an incompetent in front of Shivani, seeing as I can't even do basic magic," I growl back, without taking my eyes off the stubborn shadow. 

"Good point. Stay right here, and try to look more constipated while you do the wrong thing. I'll try to get her to look over here," she says, turning from me.

"Hey, Shivani, check out lover boy here. He's so calm, cool and competent, I don't know why I didn't like him before. And so handsome, especially when he's doing magic. My ovaries will probably explode with mmf..." The rest is thankfully muffled as Austin effortlessly picks her up and kisses her.

They stop a few seconds later, and he says to her, "Stop teasing him and actually try to help. He's a good person to have on your side."

"Don't undermine me while I'm teaching a student. He'll learn how to use magic if he stops being so stubborn. All he has to do is ask politely," Alyssa tells him smugly. She thinks I'd rather die than ask her(I probably would, but I don't need to verify her suspicions) but I haven't had a chance to try on my own yet. 

"Knowing you, dear, you haven't given him any reason to believe you'll help him. I've been watching, and you've been hostile as fuck to him. The only thing you didn't do yet is hit him," he responds in a reasonable tone.

While they're talking, Shivani wanders over to me to see how I'm doing. I pretend not to notice her as I keep trying to control a shadow and not make an ass of myself, in that order. 

"Alyssa's not a bad teacher, you know. And she would probably like you if you would just relax. I can feel you all tensed up from across the room," she says to me, while trying to maintain eye contact. She doesn't quite manage, because I can't make myself do it. After a minute or so of trying, she stops, gives me a hug, and walks back to her desk.

"I'll try again later," I mumble to no one in particular. Austin and Alyssa are lost in each other, and Shivani is back behind her desk. "I'm going to go check out the kitchen, see about making lunch or something."

By the time I make it to the kitchen, I realize that nobody here can cook. Walking through the dining area to get to it, I haven't seen anyone who wasn't eating out of a fast food container. This makes me feel better, because nobody will get in my way in the kitchen. 

The restaurant quality kitchen that was built to serve the hotel section all those years ago was properly maintained. That's about all I can say positively about the state of the equipment. So, I start cleaning and preparing an area for my use. It's soothing to me, bringing order to the chaos that was, and I get finished quickly. 

Rifling through the fridges and cabinets, I find the right ingredients for a quick stir fry. Still feeling better because I actually accomplished something, I finish cooking and look up, to see a short line, headed by Austin (with an oh so innocent look on his face)with plates in hand. 

Sighing, my mood mostly ruined(not completely, because Shivani is in the line, and I want her to like my cooking (no idea why)), I just put the serving trays out and let them help themselves.

It's mostly met with approval, but at least one person decides to complain instead of just leaving. I try to ignore him, until I can't stand it anymore, then I mime flipping a table while I'm looking at the one he's at. The table does indeed flip, with a pair of disembodied shadowy arms reaching up from under it.

I don't make the connection at first, because it felt so effortless compared to all of the work I put into my practice. Then I remember one of the ways Alyssa was telling me about, simple ritual magic. Maybe I need to use physical movements to guide the shadows I'm trying to manipulate. So I try it again. This time it works, but only just. 

"Not bad, Vergil. You did it before, but you're not getting it now because you're letting your doubt block your magic. Just believe in it the way you believe in gravity, and it'll be just as constant," Shivani says, as Austin and another of the diners toss the complainer out the door and into a fountain. "Also, not bad with the food. A couple of the girls say that you're probably good enough to put in house," she adds as she walks away. 

I stand there, bemused, as I try to make sense of the events of the day so far. I know I can use basic shadow magic now through gestures(a bit anticlimactic, flipping a table, but I did it), Shivani saw me use my power and, most importantly, she approves of my cooking. All in all, a good day.


End file.
